Peters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDK. MATHESIUS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

UPHOLSTERING FURNITURE.

Specicaton of Letters Patent No. 9,730, dated May 17, 1853.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FREDERICK MA'rHEsIUs, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented an Improved Mode of Covering Upholstered F urniture-Seats and other Articles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description.

The nature of my invention consists in attaching to the edges of the brocatelle, hair cloth, or other material to be used for the outside, or fancy covering of a chair or sofa seat, or any other article t-o be covered, ligaments or springs made of india rubber, or any other material equally as elastic, that will give or stre-tch when required. This elastic ligament or spring is fastened, generally, to the right and left sides of the outer, or fancy covering, as well as to the frame work of the sea-t of the chair, or other article to be covered, so that when a person sits upon it, or any other weight is brought to bear upon it, these elastic ligaments or springs will give or stretch to the extent of the indentation made in the seat caused by the pressure of such weight without in the least straining the outer, or fancy covering, the whole strain coming upon these ligaments, or springs; and when upon the person arising, or the weight being removed, these elastic ligaments or springs will immediately contract, drawing with them the outer or fancy covering of the seat back to its original even and smooth position, as when it first left the upholsters hands. By this mode the seat, or other article does not require the hard and compact stutling required by the usual mode, and which is a great saving both in time and material.

The articles upholstered by the usual or present mode, in order, as far as possible, to keep the outer or fancy cove-ring with a smooth and even surface, are obliged to be stuffed extremely hard and compact, which requires much time, material and great care, and will unavoidably from their compactness, and the want of elasticity in, or to, the outer or fancy covering, soon become much wrinkled by use, from the great strain consequent upon the outer, or fancy covering which stretches it out of its natural position and these wrinkles are eventually pressed down into permanent narrow folds, all of which is entirely obviated by my improved mod'e, which can easily be Clemonstrated by pressing the o-pen hand upon, and

then withdrawing it from, the seat of any article thus upholstered by me.

To enable others skilled in the art, to make and use my iinpro-vement I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I take any piece of upholstered furniture or other article usually covered with an outer or fancy covering, such as brocatelle, hair cloth or other material, and instead of tacking the outer or fancy covering with small iron tacks, to the sides of the article to be covered as is now the case in all upholstering by the present or usual mo-de, I take elastic ligaments, or springs, made for the purpose, of india rubber, .as represented at Fig. 3, in the accompanying drawing, wit-h a bias stay made into either side of the same, for the purpose of securely fastening the same to the edges of the outer covering by sewing it on at one side, and with small iron tacks fastening the other side to the fname work of the article covered, this bias stay preventing the stitches and tacks from tearing out, which would be the case in simple india rubber, as represented by A A at Fig. t in the accompanying drawing. One edge of these elastic ligaments or springs being stitched to the edges of the outer or fancy covering of the seat, I place it thereupon in its proper position, and draw the other edges of the elastic ligaments or springs down suiiciently taut to bring the covering perfectly smooth and even upon the surface of the seat, and then tack those edges of the elastic ligaments, or springs, as thus drawn taut, to the frame work of the article covered, at the usual distance from the top, as represented by B at Figs. 1, and 2, in the accompanying drawing, which also represents the unfinished end of an article covered, and ready to receive the arm, or side piece, as may be required, which when on, covers the elastic ligament or spring which is now seen.

The letter C, at Fig. l, in the accompanying drawing, represents the finished end of an article, upholstered and covered after the manner of my improvement, where in order to give the outer edge of the frame work a smooth and finished appearance, as well as to give the elastic ligaments or springs full play, I make a beveled mortise, of about a quarter of an inch in width, slightly inclining toward the top of the seat, through which the elastic ligaments or springs pass, one side of this mortise comes quite near the outer side of the frame work, and is extended entirely through it, as well as around or across the end thereof, the front and back parts of covering as usually put on, as a general thing, not require the elastic ligaments or springs, there usually being to most fancy covering, an elasticity in that direction, through this mortise I in like manner, as above stated, draw down the lower edge of the elastic ligament or spring sutliciently taut to bring t-he covering smooth and even over the surface of the seat, and then tack it to the under side of the frame work toward the center of the seat, as represented by 1), at Fig. 2, in the accompanying drawing, the slight shoulder formed between the long mortise and the outside of the frame work, is covered with gimp, or other trimming covering it entirely over, and leaving the whole in a finished state. v

Most goods, or material used as outer or fancy covering for upholstered articles, have an elasticity one way, but not the other, and by the present mode of upholstering and covering articles, in order to give the seat a smooth and even appearance, they are obliged to be stuffed excessively compact and hard, that the outer Vor fancy covering may present the same smooth appearance, consequently in a very short time, from the weight and pressure upon the seat, to which such articles are invariably subjected, the outer, or fancy covering is much strained and stretched, in the direction where it has no elasticity, and as a matter of course soon becomes wrinkled, and these wrinkles eventually become pressed down into permanent narrow folds, the edges of which soon wear through; all of which diiiiculties and necessities are entirely obviated and removed, and much time and material for st-uiing saved, by my improved mode, as the seat or article will not require to the stuEed so full, hard and compact, and however long or much used, will immediately, upon the removal of any weight, or pressure from it, resume its original smooth and even surface.

Any other material, matter or aiticle of sufficient spring or elasticity to eect the same object or purpose, can be used in place of the india. rubber ligaments or springs used by me in my improved mode, and it is immaterial in what manner these ligaments,

or springs are fastened, or attached to the edges of the outer or fancy covering, or to the frame work of the article covered, or of what width, or thickness these ligaments, or springs may be made, if they but answer the purpose and effect the object above claimed and described, to wit: that of permitting all upholstered furniture or other articles to be used with impunity, in the ordinary manner of using such articles, and upon their ceasing to be so used, or upon the removal therefrom of t-he ordinary weight or pressure to which such use may have subjected them, that the outer or fancy covering of such article, by means, and by the natural operation of these elastic ligaments or springs, shall immediately resume its original even and smooth surface, and so continue to do until worn out, without, at any time permitting anything like wrinkles to exist in the covering, and consequently no small or narrow pressed folds can ever be created, which are only formed by the existence of wrinkles, and from them, and which are unavoidable, after a little wear, with all furniture or other articles upholstered and covered in the present or usual manner; my improvement as above set forth and claimed may be used advantageously for many other purposes, and upon many other matters and things besides furniture, and the same object or result can be attained in other ways, and by other means, but the principle will be the same.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The covering the seat-s or other parts of upholstered furniture, or other articles and things, by means and with the aid of elastic ligaments or springs attached to the edges of the covering and to the frame work of the article covered, in such manner, that the outer or fancy covering, however much used, or pressed down, upon being relieved from such pressure, will resume and retain an even and smooth surface, using for that purpose india rubber ligaments or springs or any other elastic material which will produce the desired or intended effect, substantially as herein above set forth and described.

FREDERICK MATHESIUS. Witnesses:

W. L. M. BURGER, TIMOTHY B. BURGER. 

